A RECORD crowd visited Stoke Park in Guildford on Bank Holiday Monday for the Surrey County Show.

Organisers estimate that around 40,000 people attended the event which brought together agricultural competitions, show jumping, award winning chefs, dog enthusiasts, fairground rides and monster trucks.

A bright, sunny morning tempted families out to the park and by late morning queues for tickets snaked back hundreds of metres.

In the wake of the horse meat scandal this year's show had an emphasis on locally sourced food helping people to reconnect with farming and nature.

Johnny Ball, the roadshow presenter for the National Farmers Union, said: "A lot of people these days haven't got the opportunity to visit the countryside and see what farmers do. Today they have had a good insight to see what we do and what we make. It's brilliant to connect with people who would never normally see us."

Merrist Wood College in Worplesdon once again picked up the shows's first prize in its class of trade stand. The college offers young people the chance to take a range of courses relating to animal care and horticulture.

"We have been doing sheep shearing demonstrations every half hour and outside there is chainsaw carving and a tractor challenge," said Brian Rogers, a lecturer in countryside conservation management.

"We bring the sheep along partly to show the demonstration and so this age group can connect with the livestock."

Amongst hundreds of competitors in the equestrian events was Jemma Millman who came fourth in the championship of the double harness scurry - an event which see ponies pulling a carriage at speeds of up to 30 mph around a course of cones.

She was driving a carriage pulled by Piglet and Eeyore and said: "We come from Chertsey so we're local competitors.

"We travel all around the country and Europe. Surrey County Show is a nice show and there is always a good crowd. The ponies really do love it when the crowd is behind them."

Elsewhere on the site feats of engineering were on display with a procession of huge farming machinery from through the ages.

The monster truck show was rescued with a piece of last minute engineering. During the first of two demonstrations both machines suffered mechanical problems. Big Pete, the biggest, tallest and heaviest monster truck in the world had a melted wiring loom while its competitor, the Grim Reaper, had a total failure of the suspension in one corner. Some quick work by the mechanics had them both patched together for the second display.

Mayor of Guildford, Diana Lockyer-Nibbs, said she thoroughly enjoyed the day.

"I think it's a very successful show," she said. "There have been absolutely masses of people and it's been not too hot and not too cold. A few years ago it was so wet and there was a doubt it could go on but a day like this is just great."